During his more than 20 years as a professional, Rafa Nadal was a true nightmare for the vast majority of ATP tennis players, especially on clay. Nobody wanted to face the Spaniard at Roland Garros (where he won 14 titles) and, in recent times, there have been many players who have surrendered to the greatness of the Manacorí.
One of the last to do so was Steve Johnson. The former American tennis player faced Nadal only once in his sporting career (second round of the 2015 Madrid Masters 1000) and went through the podcast Nothing Major to remember what his experience was like against the Balearic Islands.
«You know perfectly what he is going to do at all times. You prepare for it, but it always finds a way to annoy you on the tennis court. He is the best competitor in the history of the sport. I was very scared by the idea of losing 6-0 and 6-0 in front of so many fans and having them make fun of me. Luckily I won the first game, which calmed me down, because if you go 4-0 or 5-0… There was a lot of fear in my eyes and very little in his. However, it would have been hilarious to lose 6-0 and 6-0 and remember it a decade later,” Johnson recalled.
The American had the privilege of facing Nadal on the court Manolo Santana of the Caja Mágica, the headquarters of the tennis complex located on the Paseo de Perales in the Spanish capital and, despite losing, he completed a very worthy match, since the Balearic player ended up beating him 6-4 and 6-3, a score that was not so large and that reflected that Steve Johnson He was not as bad a player as many believed.
